The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) and the Educator Provider Support (EPS) Networks (EPS) are bringing together educators, program administrators, and other stakeholders working with young children with special needs and their families for a series of focus groups across the state. The purpose of these focus groups is to meet with educators working in the public schools to discuss and share professional development resource and training needs with a specific focus on supporting children with special needs and their families in inclusive learning environments. This is truly an opportunity to learn from our public school partners, an integral part of EEC’s mixed delivery system.

We recognize that staff in the public schools are highly skilled in providing inclusive preschool programs and we are looking to you for feedback on what needs to be strengthened in order to make inclusive programs more accessible to children and families. We are also interested in the professional development needs and interests of teachers and paraprofessionals working in your districts. We want to be responsive to the needs of these educators and ensure that they are included in EEC’s workforce initiatives. Please bring your successes, challenges, thoughts, questions, and concerns as we come together to better understand the resource and training needs.